Comments

NCAAB Picks

NCAAB Betting Picks - Central Arkansas Bears vs Michigan Wolverines

The Michigan Wolverines aren't ready yet to crack the AP Top 25 as they're coming off of an 18 point loss to the UCLA Bruins. Next on the schedule for Michigan, the Central Arkansas Bears provide a nice opportunity for Michigan to bounce back as they're the decisive betting favorite at home.

After losing 102-84 to the UCLA Bruins, the Michigan Wolverines can now lay claim to the fact that they've faced one of the best teams in the nation and can learn from that experience.

From an offensive perspective, Michigan was "on point" as they shot 50% from the field, 53.8% from beyond the arc, and over 90% from the charity stripe. Another major positive is that leading scorer, Zak Irvin had a spectacular overall game with 18 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds. Michigan's inevitable downfall was their defense as UCLA scored at will. Michigan managed just 23 rebounds as a team and that's not going to win many ball games.

Zak Irvin

Expect another major contribution from Zak Irvin against the Bears as he's a very experienced senior with great size for a guard at 6 foot 6, 215 pounds and is a multi-faceted player. While his numbers don't look attractive, this is the type of a player that could latch on to an NBA squad with the intangibles that he brings to the game.

Except for one poor effort in a defensive battle against Texas, Irvin has been consistent on a team that will eventually reach the AP Top 25. For the season, he's averaging 14 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. The Bears will be hard pressed in dealing with Irvin on both ends of the court.

Seeking Win #2??

Central Arkansas is battle-tested also. In their season opener, Wisconsin blasted them out of the building with a 79-47 Wisky victory. There wasn't much to take away from this game as Wisconsin, year in, year out, possesses a top-notch defense. The Bears effort against Butler was no better as they lost 82-58. These games are a definite barometer for where the Bears are at as they look for their 2nd victory of the season.

Central Arkansas will rely on, leading scorer, Jordan Howard as Howard has had back to back 20 point games and one of these games was against Butler. While I don't expect Michigan to contain Howard, expect the Wolverines to dominate this game as they're a few notches above Central Arkansas where talent is concerned.